Adventures in Honey Island Swamp

Hello from the swamp of Honey Island, Louisiana. Boy, did we sure have an exciting time today! First, our scientist Mike (Remember, Parker Farms kids, he joined us at our Thursday morning conference), chose to disembark upon the river shore where alligator footprints dominated the beach! Yes, we were a bit hesitant about exploring this spot, and proceeded with caution.

Next, upon staking out our plot, I found the molted skin of a water moccasin hanging from a tree branch! In areas by water, it is common for this snake to relax on tree branches. Therefore in Louisiana swamp territory, one must always be on alert, looking up as well as down, making sure to stay clear of this aggressive reptile.

Sometimes the water moccasin is referred to as the cottonmouth. This is because when it is startled, it flings its head back and opens its jaws, displaying a white interior mouth cavity. It likes to eat warm as well as cold blooded animals and has heat sensing organs to help it detect prey. The water moccasion is one of the deadliest snakes in North America and is best avoided.

Next, we came across Charlotte's Web and her family of baby spiders. There seemed to be hundreds of them! Very Cool!

Now, you may be wondering, "Where are the caterpillars?" Well, this plot wasn't as productive as we would have liked. Oh well. Our other discoveries more than made up for the lack of caterpillars.